Toucans on Rain Forest River by William Patterson
Please press play to hear my spoken word version of the poem
Music by The Darkest Cello Music_ Beginning to End Hendyamps Studios
Toucans: Flying free in my yard
Toucans crying in the dying light,
of a rainy afternoon
No orange glow on the treetops below,
the creek that slides through the rain forest
is soaked in mist, by the falling curtains
of powdered clouds in this season of the rain.
The birds call out, they sound so sad
like they can’t pick up their souls
from the jungle floor..and every note pierces my heart
until I too I cry out in my poetry,
from this little room on the mountain top
such a tragedy the Toucans wail,
and I know, oh I know,, what they mean.
This will all be gone too soon they cry
The trees, the solitude, the peace, the harmony,
Nature has looked after itself, so well,
but sad to say that other plans bring humanity,
And when the developers with their machinery
carve a golf course from a piece of paradise
and then build many rooms of luxury;
there will be nothing left to recognize…
this moment is another time that can no longer be or… survive.
I take a picture in my mind, my lenses bathed in tears…
The Toucans saw it first and tried to warn us with their cry.
Karima Hoisan
Nov, 8, 2022
Costa Rica
Digital Rabbit Hole 
So beautiful and true, and melancholy! Everything changes, we don’t respect and treasure what we have like we should, and the toucans know. A reminder to appreciate everything we can, before it changes.
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I love your comment Dale…thank you..In all the time I have lived here, I have seen too much change.. and yet now we have protected areas, where toucans and macaws fly free and no one can ever take them away..Alhamdulillah!
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If only we would listen to Nature’s messengers! Sigh…
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Ohhh yes, our messengers, more in-tuned than we will ever be. I know you remembr this sound…Thank you for this bautiful comment…Hugs, Linda
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So beautiful this sad tale of such beautiful birds Karima!! 💞
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Thank you so much for listening Cindy and yes they are magnificent… They have lost their homes in certain areas and are now seen in our back yard feeders.I love them!!
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You’re so welcome Karima and what a gift to have them in your yard!!! So sweet and kind of you!! ❤️
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oh so powerful, seldom do we stop to ‘hear’ natures very real warnings!
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Sadly true what you say in your comment, Kate…before we realize it..nature has lost the fight with our ignorance and greed.
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such a sad and fatal existence ..
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“I take a picture in my mind, my lenses bathed in tears”… This, I felt to my core.
Well done Karima, you have honored the fallen. And the falling.
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Thank you my dear friend…what a nice surprise to see you on my blog… I hope you will keep visiting.:) and thanks always for your sensitivity to my poetry.🙏
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Having fun by oneself can be fun… but not as much fun as Toucan !
I am singing in the rain Karima ! How is your rain forest ? Don’t get wet Karima !
marc
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We are in the last month of the rainy season…It is lush and green and rains every afternoon.. I’m sure your rain forest is also beautiful now.. I love this season the best:) Thanks for asking marc:)
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A poignant poem with a powerful message and warning. It’s a tragedy that these beautiful, intricate environments are suffering because of greed and similar reasons. We need to find ways to protect that paradise.
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It is a unison lament of all the fauna of nature because we are unscrupulous predators to mistreat the forests in order to get more wealth. Your poem does not lead to a deep reflection of what we see daily with the mistreatment of the environment and we feel powerless for not being able to do anything to avoid it. Excellent verses.
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Thank you so much for reading my poem…maybe with the words below to translate, you could enjoy the music, my voice and the toucans. Costa Rica has stopped much of this encroachment on Nature..but big areas were lost before legislation named them protected areas. Muy agradecida:)
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At least the laws came out before the toucans continued to become extinct. I will try with the music and the voices of the toucans. Thanks.
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Beautifully written, beautifully read. I salute you!
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Thank you so much for listening and leaving me this positive comment.
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An excellent piece of writing reflecting an all too familiar situation. If only we really could learn to share with other creatures.
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Thank you so much David, for reading and hopefully listening to it. This is something world wide, that urgently needs to be addressed, or some day, thes glorious creatures of the rain forest and all creatures there, will only be found in museums in lifeless rain forest dioramas:(
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A poignant poem, so real, so touching, Karima! The animals and birds and other creatures detect natural and environmental disasters. It’s believed that birds start chirping unusually at odd hours before earthquake etc. Thank you for depicting a reality that we all see around us.
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Thank you so much Kaushal, for allowing yourself to be enveloped by the toucans, the cello and my words. Yes, it’s the animals, that first perceive an earthquake..and their sharp ears and collective calls can be sentinels, for the rumblings of the heavy machinery that rolls slowly down the road..ready to reshape what Nature has left us in perfection..Sighs.
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That’s really sad for our mother nature. Thank you, Karima! You’re more than welcome!
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A melancholic piece in your beautiful voice…amazing music…we need to connect with this knowing of this piece…to treasure what we have & to listen to the voice of nature & other creatures…you’ve a way with words…how you convey the powerful message…through your words, the voice & the music…beautifully expressed, my friend 💫
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Thank you dearest Naveen, I feel very strongly about this too. As I mentioned before, Costa Rica has taken the conscious responsibility, of naming large areas of our country as National Parks..but more can be done, and if large chains find loopholes, all of a sudden, one of these hotels is going up in our area, just bordering the parks…Thank you so much for your positive feedback and your enjoyment of my voice and music as well . It means a lot to me, that you still delight in what I do.❤️
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You’re welcome, Karima…Great to know that govt is naming large areas of your country as National Parks…that’s quite important…awareness is important & they’ve started taking steps…slowly things would prosper even more…keep expressing the way you want to my soulkin…the words, the voice, the music ❤️
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Thank you my soulkin:):) Now I have two:) Joy taught me that word and it’s so appropriate:)
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ah yes, we lament all that we loved that has passed🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼being able to share these deep environmental sadnesses with others does help us to stay aware & awake, if nothing else. thats an improvement over being caught up in the acquisition of excess🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼
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I agree and now with more whole Earth consciousness, seeing a piece of oxygen-rich rain forest, being marked for development…is definitely a wake-up call. Thank you J. for commenting on this one. 🙏🌹🙏
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I was lucky. In my Army days. I spend one and a half year in Central and South American. I fell in love with the tropics. Thank you dear Karima for sharing the amazing poetry and beautiful artwork.
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Ahh then you know what a magical place it is.. It’s not hard to fall in love…I totally understand..thank you for all your appreciation of this poem, very close to my heart.
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You are welcome dear Karima.
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Reblogged this on johncoyote and commented:
Please read and enjoy the work of the talented writer.
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I am honored you re-blogged my poem John..thank you my friend.
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You are welcome dear Karima. More folks need to listen to your work, read your work.
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So generous of you to share me with your readers!! Thank you again🙏
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You are welcome, dear Karima.
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So hauntingly beautiful🤟🌍🖖🏼💐
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Thank you so much Nikki for your approving comment for my Toucan’s Lament 🙏
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